VG Cats: The Stanger Redux
by Matthias777
Summary: This is a remake of my first story that is still on . I am making it darker and making sure that it doesn't copy off of SwedenSpeedWay.    The VG Cats find a stranger in a pile of snow. What will happen to them as they live with this fellow?
1. Chapter 1

-?-

A lone figure stumbled through the snow, his shoes packing the snow into solid patches. His breath came in short bursts and created mist. His heart beat quickly, his muscles screaming for a rest. But he couldn't. He had to run away. He had to escape. He had to.

But his body finally said 'no'. The figure fell to his knees, his black jeans stained with water at the knees. He took giant gulps of air; his body feeling like it was circulating acid rather than blood. He spat on the ground, a thin film of what felt like slime still covering the inside of his mouth. The figure tried to stand, but stumble and fell flat on his face, his black hoody providing some protection from the bitter cold. He began to crawl forward, leaving a trail behind him as he felt a chill embrace him all around. He looked behind him with a haunted look on his face, "N-No," he croaked, "s-stay… a-away."

-The Next Day-

"YAY! WE GOT MODERN WARFARE 3!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP IDIOT!"

Two bipedal cats walked out of a Gamestop building, a gray cat holding a little bag and the pink one shouting at the gray one. The gray tomcat pulled out an Xbox game from the little bag and carelessly discarded the bag. He held the game at arm's length into the sky, looking up at it, "Wow, it's beautiful!"

The pink cat shook her head in frustration, "Honestly Leo, I think that you're going to marry the Xbox."

Leo's head whipped around, "You can do that?"

The pink cat looked up at the sky while face-palming, "Oh dear lord, please save me from sinking into insanity while living with this bumbling buffoon."

Leo looked at her, his ears pressed against his skull, "Aeris, why are you so mean to me?"

He gave Aeris a pained look that Aeris suspected to be shoddy. Aeris shook her head, stirring her pink bangs, and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Leo looked at her with a raised eyebrow only to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder, "OWCH! What's that for!"

Aeris held up her right hand that was currently balled up in a fist. She blew on it like a gunslinger that just shot a fresh round and gave her grey friend a smirk, "That, was for being an idiot."

Leo put on a weak smile, "Heh, but you know I can't help it-"

He was about to say more, but he stumbled over a mound of snow and fell flat on his face. Leo supported his body with his elbows and looked around, searching for the source of his downfall, "What…?"

Aeris picked Leo up by the crooks of his elbows and looked at the mound of snow that Leo had tripped over, "Who the Hell would make a log of snow in the middle of the sidewalk?"

Aeris rose her leg up and smacked the heap of snow with all of her force. She expected the pile of snow to blast away in a burst of tiny crystals, but instead she felt something solid resist her leg. Aeris tilted her head slightly and bent her knees, balancing on the tips of her toes, "What do we have here?"

She swept the top layers of snow with a gloved hand and realized that there wasn't only snow in the pile, "Hey Leo, help me clear the snow on this mound!"

Leo didn't really understand the situation, but the urgency in her voice signaled that she wasn't fooling around. The two cats quickly began to brush the snow away with their hands, Leo's game being secure in his jacket's pocket. After a few moments, Leo saw something black, "Aeris, I think I got something!"

The two worked at a faster pace to clear the snow. After a few seconds, Leo and Aeris uncovered a body lying face down on the ground. Leo stared at it in wonder as he stooped down to examine it at a better angle. He noticed that whoever it was had his/her hood down, so he pulled it off.

Underneath the hood revealed a male cat, looking around his 20s, black and white fur in the same pattern as Leo's and Aeris', a black cap with a Yin-Yang symbol on the front, and he was wearing a pair of shades. And strange enough, he was wearing a backpack. Leo slowly reached over and poked the stranger in the face, seeing if he could get a reaction. But he was disappointed to discover that the cat made no moves to cease the constant pestering on his cheek.

Leo stood up and asked Aeris, "Aeris, do you think he's... dead?"

Aeris looked down at the stranger as well and sat on her knees. She rolled the body over rather carelessly and examined him. The pink cat sat still for a few seconds, then slapped the unconscious man across the face, creating a resonating SLAP!

Leo jumped at the sheer volume of the slap and stared at Aeris widely, "Why did you do that! That guy could be-"

But before he could finish his sentence, the man moaned and his fingers twitched, probably an attempt to unconscious motion to rub his now-sore cheek. Aeris waved Leo closer and gave a command, "Leo, lift his right side and hook his arm around your shoulders, I'll do the same on his other side."

Leo nodded and, with Aeris, heaved the man up, and found out that he was lighter than what he had originally anticipated. The two cats dragged the man through the snow and into their apartment.

-?-

-First Person Point of View (PoV)-

I… I am cold…

I feel… the cold…

I feel a flame… what is it?

Pain...?

PAIN!

MAKE IT STOP!

MY HEART!

MY EYES!

DEATH!

-?-

-Third Person PoV-

The stranger woke up, sweat drenching his clothes and his hand clutching his heart. He was gasping and tears streaked his face. The cat realized that he was lying down on a couch in a place he had never seen before. He tried to sit up, but he couldn't feel any strength in his legs so he was forced to roll over and land on the floor with a THUMP.

He felt a shock and his began to feel his legs. However, the feeling came to them in the feeling of pain as blood rushed into the open vessels. The cat squeezed the tears out of his eyes and after a few moments, stood up. He saw his black backpack and picked it up, stumbling into the kitchen, indicated by the white refrigerator. He opened a cabinet and found cans of food into it. After he was done clearing the cabinet, he was about to move unto water bottles, when he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

-With Leo-

Leo walked down the hall to check on a noise that he heard when he felt someone pounce on him and felt a prick on his neck. He pupils dilated as he realized that the prick as a black switchblade pressed against his throat. The stranger straddled Leo's body, the knife not wavering as his shades reflecting Leo's startled face.

The stranger held up his backpack in his free arm, "Look, I only want some food and water and I'll be out of your hair, alright?"

Leo gulped and caused his Adam's apple to bounce, "Alright man, calm down. We saved you life you know!"

The stranger made no visible changes to his posture, "'We'?"

"Yeah, I saved your sorry ass too."

The stranger slowly turned his head down the hall to see Aeris in a purple pair of pajamas with little pink skulls with hearts as the eyes. She was standing in the middle of the hallway and had her arms crossed over her chest, as if the motion could have blocked the stranger from harming her grey friend. The stranger paused, the knife still pressed against Leo's throat. Aeris glared at their guest, "So you have a name?"

The stranger was slightly taken aback from the sudden question in this dire situation. His eyebrows slanted downwards into a slight 'V', "Of course I have a name, it's..."

He looked down at the ground, "It's..."

Then, a sudden flash appeared in his mind and he winced. Jangled memories came back into his mind and bombarded him with thought after thought of memories that he didn't know he had;

_"Hi Shades!"_

_"Hey Shades, check this out!"_

_"What's up Shades?"_

_"Let's go Shades!"_

"My name is... Shades."

Aeris raised an eyebrow, "A nickname?"

Shades stayed still, "It's all I've ever been called."

Leo coughed slightly a touched the blade that was poised over his throat, "Uh, do you mind, you know, putting that thing away?"

Shades looked at Aeris, "Will there be no fighting?"

Aeris looked from Leo to him, and nodded, seeing no other choice in the matter, and rather enjoyed her friend's safety, "Fine, but don't stab him in the back."

Shades stood up and slid the knife in his pocket, "Agreed."

He let Leo go and the grey cat stood up, leaning against the wall, and panted out between breaths, "Thanks Aeris," and he glared at Shades. "And no thanks to you, asshole."

Shades shrugged, "Fair enough."

"So," Aeris said, pointing at the bag, "What's in the bag?"

Shades dropped the bag unto the ground and lightly kicked it, causing the cans of food to jangle, "I was just…. 'borrowing' some food."

Aeris walked over to the bag and ripped it open, the cans of food spilling out. What seemed like 100s of cans fell onto the ground and rolled all over the floor and Aeris felt a vein pulse on her forehead. Aeris' eyebrow twitched and looked at the black cat who was scanning the room composedly, "You call taking all of our food 'borrowing'!"

Shades eyed the fridge, "Well, I'm certain that I didn't take ALL of your food…"

Aeris clenched a fist, "You SHUT UP!"

Shades' nose merely twitched, "I thought that we agreed on no fighting?"

Aeris clenched a fist, "Well, I want to see how much of a threat you are without your knife."

Shades pulled the knife out of his pocket and walked into the kitchen. He placed the knife onto the counter, its sliver engravings gleaming dully in the kitchen's light, "Very well," he said, turning around. "Let's see how your fists will speak for you."

**Author's notes:**

**Here it is; a remake of the original "Stranger" story. I made it darker because when I first wrote the story, I wasn't thinking much about how Shades' past would affect how he would act. I intend to flush out his character more, not piggy-back off of SwedenSpeedWay's story, and make the chapters longer. The chapters being longer will mean less frequent updates, but hopefully more detail and better storytelling, and I am now beginning to think that it is in fact quality over quantity. Also, I have decided to not remove my original story to show you how well I have improved and see the feedback it got. Please give a review and NO FLAMES.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**-Outside-**

**-Shades' POV-**

I walked down the stairs, the metal stairs creaking as our weight seemed strenuous on it. As our clanking footsteps reverberated along the walls, a thought came to mind— I have yet to learn the gray cat's name. Without breaking our stride, I popped the question, "Hey, tomcat."

The gray one look up at me, since I was behind the two of them and the pink one, Aeris I think, was in front. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I don't think I got your name."

The gray one turned his head back down towards the ground and merely stated his name, "Leo. Leo Leonardo III."

I scuffed slightly, "Strange name."

I could tell Leo frowned at this, "Well, at least my name isn't something people wear all the time!"

I could only reply, "Touché."

The rest of the way the stairwell was in silence, save for our footsteps. I would have liked to break it, but I couldn't think of a subject to talk about… In fact, I couldn't think of much at all. My mind was a blank slate. All I could remember was my "name", which I'm sure is nothing but a nickname… But the question is who that girl who said my name was.

Did I know her? Yes, I must have. I mean, minds don't just make up voices; they have to use a sound they heard… right? I remember… I can only remember some places… and there was a girl… white fur… black hair? I can't remember much more, not even the name of the girl… Were we friends? Hm…

I stumbled a bit as my feet hit a much more solid surface; the actual ground. I regained my footing without the other cats noticing me stumble- I think- and continued to follow them. We stepped into the apartment complex's parking lot and I was surprised to see that it was vacant of cars, save for a blue Volkswagen. I turned to the gray cat, which was adorned from head to toe with blue, "Nice car."

Leo grimaced, "It was a gift from my parents for finally getting out of the house. I'm sure they could have gotten something nicer… but I'm okay with what I got. I mean, it's not like it's a bicycle or something."

I rose an eyebrow and stopped moving, Leo stopping as well, "Unthankful, are we?"

He shrugged, "I guess that's one of my faults."

I shook my head in disgust, "I hate people like you. Ungrateful for everything they have."

His ears lowered, his face giving a pained look, "'Hate' is such a strong word…"

I turned to face him, "No. I can say with 100% certainty that I HATE ungrateful people. That means you too," I said, jabbing a finger into his chest to punctuate every word. I then turned to face the pink cat, "I hope you're not the same?"

She shook her head, her shoulder-length hair swishing back and forth, "Nope," she said without looking back as she moved on without us. "Unlike Leo, I'm actually appreciating the things I have, like my laptop."

"Filled with gay fanfics," Leo muttered under his breath, silent enough so she couldn't hear, but loud enough for me to hear. I glanced in her direction. When I first met her, she seemed like she meant business… but does someone like her really write… yaoi?

I shook my head from side to side; anyone can seem one way, but be something completely different. I have to remember that lesson. As we walked across the parking lot, I asked myself a question; why did I lash out like that? Surely I would have a reason to do something like that… but that sad thing is that I didn't, at least, not one I can remember. Was it some sort of habitual thing, like how spiders are able spin their webs without instruction? Did I really hate that type of person to the point where I automatically called them out? I have no idea.

And as I was thinking about this, I noticed some graffiti on the wall of the apartment. It was a picture of a skeletal human zombie thing with yellow-orange hair with something along the lines of a sneer on his face. He was also wearing a lime green shirt and was staring forward, seemingly at you. The person who "painted" this art wrote "Eddie" under the picture. Was it the name of the artist, or the name of the zombie? I don't know, but the whole idea of graffiti was strangely nostalgic for some reason…

I shook my head clear of those thoughts as we continued our walk. The snow began to fall in small clumps, latching on to the ground before getting smothered by the other flakes of snow. The little flakes made a soft crunch noise as my heel s compressed them into the ground below. Aeris stopped and spun on her heels and crossed her arms, "So, are we going to fight or what?"

Leo and I stopped in our tracks and looked at her, or at least I looked at her. Leo's eyes were on me the whole time, and I don't blame him. I would do the same thing if I almost got my throat slit. I shrugged and cracked my neck, "Sure."

**-General PoV-**

Leo stepped back until his back was against the wall; you couldn't be too careful with Aeris swinging her fists around. Shades and Aeris faced each other, a good 30 feet of black top separating the two fighters. Aeris cracked her knuckles while Shades looked around, standing still. Aeris raised her fists so that they were on level with her chin and her feet planted on the ground, Shades doing the same. Aeris threw a few test punches to get her blood flowing as the bitter cold outside was beginning to get to her. Shades merely continued to stand in place as fog was already beginning to come out of his mouth. Leo scratched his head and raised a hand, "Hey, can I be the ref?"

Aeris glanced at Leo from the corner of her eyes, "Why would we need a ref? The first person to yeild or get knocked-out loses. That's all there is to it.

Leo nodded, "But if it gets a little crazy..."

The pink cat scuffed, "Like you would have the balls to jump into the middle of a fight with ME involved."

Leo realized her knowledge and nodded in agreement, "R-Right, can I at least say went the fight starts? I always wanted to do that in something like a boxing match!"

'Boxing...' Shades thought as he continued to stand. When Leo said that, a flash of light burst behind his eyes and forced him to wince. Then some memories began to spring forth:

_"Come on dipshit, raise those fists! I don't give a damn if you're sweating enough to fill the Hoover Dam, you're still gonna box 'til you sweat BLOOD!" screamed a rough, grouchy voice._

_"Remember Shades, ya fists haveta cover ya jaw. One blow there and say good night!" said a different voice. It sounded much calmer and had a hint of a southern accent to it._

_"Shades, never stand still, you gotta bounce on your toes, keep alert, feel when it's time to strike back," said a third voice. It was the first voice, but it was less excited and it was giving some nice words of wisdom. _

Shades again had to wonder why these fragments of his memory were coming back to him, but now wasn't the time to question it. He let out a deep sigh and raised his fists. Each fist was hovering over each side of his jaw and he began to bounce on the balls of his feet. Shades gave a few jabs and nodded at Leo, "I'm ready when she is."

Aeris nodded as well, "I'm ready."

Leo grinned in glee and he raised a hand, "Ready? FIGHT!"

Aeris was off like a shot and quickly closed the gap between her and Shades. The black cat was caught off guard but managed to block her oncoming fist with his forearm by twisting his body slightly to the side. Shades quickly twisted to the other side and caused Aeris' fist to slide away, making her take an involuntary step forward and he spun away, slightly losing his balance but creating some distance between them. 'Alright Shades,' he said to himself as he regained his footing, 'just calm down and gather your thoughts.'

Aeris growled in annoyance and twisted on her heel, facing the black cat once again. Shades raised his fists without thinking about it and began to weave back and forth. The pink cat ran towards Shades once again, building momentum for her punch, while Shades was waiting. He watched her from behind his shades, observing, scanning. Aeris was but a yard away when she threw her punch. It made a straight path to his face, but Shades saw it and reacted on instinct. He leaned to the right, bending down as he did. And using his momentum he gained from dodging Aeris' fist, he threw a right hook to her side.

Aeris' shot wide open and she staggered back, bent over and clutching at her side in pain, but her pride wouldn't let her fall to her knees, at least until she landed a clean blow. Struggling, she straightened up and raised her fists, trying her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her ribs. She was sure that nothing was broken, but she was damn sure that she would be feeling it in the morning after. Shades on the other hand was looking at his fist in wonder, 'What was that feeling? It felt so... right. The way my fist cut through the air...'

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and went back in his stance, bouncing once again. Aeris was more than pissed off at this point and even Leo was starting to feel uncomfortable at this point. He had never seen anyone hit Aeris like that. It wasn't that fact that she was a girl and no one ever hit her. It was the fact that Aeris always got back at the person in the end with no problem, even if their hit was wimpy, but the way she reacted to the black cat's punch scared him.

Aeris carefully stepped forward, this time taking a safer approach. She had seen what Shades was able to dish out, and she wouldn't like to get another serving. Shades shuffled forward as well, his blood running fast in his veins as well as adrenaline, the thrill of the fight getting to him. Aeris took steady breaths to help ease the pain when she took one final step. When she took that step, Shades rushed forward and let loose a flurry of jabs with his left hand. Aeris stepped back in surprise as she struggled to avoid all of the punches thrown at her. Aeris growled in frustration at the fact that she couldn't see a way to get a clear shot, but then the jabs briefly stopped. The pink cat leaped at the opportunity, literally, and took the chance and threw a punch, only to be met with a solid hit to the face. 'It's a trap!' she thought as she stumbled back.

Shades gave a grim smile and began his assault. The black cat gave no slack as he threw a one-two combination to Aeris' stomach. Aeris clutched her stomach in pain as she felt the urge to puke rising, the bile literal rising in her throat not helping. She glared at Shades and, despite the pain, kicked the black cat in the back of his left knee cap. Shades fell to one knee as his knee was no longer supporting his body and Aeris took the opportunity to throw an uppercut to his jaw. The black cat flipped over and landed on his back with the force of her punch.

Aeris stood up, panting. Shades slowly sat up, resting on his hands as he leaned back. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his head and stood up. He dusted off his pants and asked, "Ready for round 2?"

Aeris snarled, "Are you mocking me?"

Shades shrugged, "I just think that our fighting is more or less a waste of time; don't you agree?"

Aeris kept a frown on her face, but didn't say anything. Shades turned to Leo, "Let's call this a draw, shall we?"

Leo jumped a little, not expecting to be called upon, "S-Sure."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Leo looked nervously between the two cats, unsure what to do at this point. Aeris was glaring at Shades with all the hate that she could muster while breathing heavily, and Shades had a hand on the back of his neck, shaking it every once in a while and grunting for some reason. Leo chuckled nervously, "Uh… fight's over?"

Aeris turned her glare on Leo, which caused him to wince in fear. Shades stretched and groaned, still rubbing his neck, and cracked his neck at an attempt to get a crick out of his neck that seemed to have appeared after Aeris punched him in the chin, when he realized something. He let his hand that was rubbing his neck fall to his side and cleared his throat, "So… now what?"

Leo tilted his head, "What?"

Shades sat on the ground despite the snow that was no doubt melting through the seat his black pants, "I mean, sure the fight's over, but now what?"

Leo shrugged, some loose snow falling off of his shoulders, "We go our separate ways? You go home, we go home, everyone's happy?"

The black cat used both of his hands and forced his neck to crack, letting out a satisfied sigh after doing so, "You see, that would be the ideal thing to do, but for the record, I appear to have lost all of my memories. And sadly, that includes where I live, if I- in fact- have a place to live."

"You sure don't act like it," Aeris grumbled, walking over to the gray cat while holding a hand over her stomach.

Leo raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "Really?"

Shades shrugged, rubbing his hands together slowly, "Yeah. I only remember waking up in your apartment and some random flashbacks."

And as soon as he said that, a flash of light exploded behind his eyes as more memories began to invade his mind. He groaned and leaned forward while gripping his head, his face distorted with pain. Leo jumped in surprise, "Hey, are you okay?"

-?-

*Ding!*

The sound of the gong was heaven to the black cat as he fell on his butt, sweat pouring down his already drenched fur. He rubbed his brow with his right forearm to wipe the sweat away from his eyes which would have caused him endless grief, but it proved ineffective due to the fact that the fur on his arm was already glazed with a thin layer of sweat. A cat chewing on a toothpick opened the ropes up on the side of the ring and stepped inside, tossing a towel on Shades' lap, "Good shit boy. I'll expect you here at 8 A.M. tomorrow; not 8:01, not 7:59, 8 A.M. sharp, got that?"

Shades groaned as he grabbed the towel with clumsy hands due to the large gloves that enclosed them and wiped off as much sweat as he could possible to remove the feeling of grime that he felt covering his entire upper body, "That's pretty early in the mornin', don't you think?" he said as he slowly and shakily stood up, his legs barely able to support him due to the strenuous workout he had just accomplished.

The coach rose an eyebrow and threw a jab at the black cat's face, stopping a mere centimeter from his face, which caused Shades to stumble back in surprise, "When I was you age, we woke up at 5 in the morning and didn't stop 'til 8 at night, so stop complaining and be here at 8, got it?"

Shades grumbled under his breath but nodded all the same. He was just finishing taking off his left glove off- which consisted of trying to pull it off with his teeth, and even trying to pry it off with his own feet at one point- when he turned to the blue corner of the ring where a tan cat was wiping his sweat off. He was Shades' opponent for the sparring matches that day and was equally as tired, but tried his best not to show it. Shades pulled off his right glove with a tug and threw both gloves by their laces over his shoulder as he stood up and called to the fellow boxer, "Oy, Robert, I'm planning on going to Burger King-"

From the side of the ring, the coach screamed, "I better not be hearing you plan on going to a fast food joint after practice!"

Shades held his free hand up in defeat, "Sorry."

He had momentarily forgotten that the coach hated people eating fast food, especially his boxers. He also knew what foods boxers should eat to maintain the ideal body for a boxer to have, despite having a gut that was beginning to show. The coach himself was a dirt brown cat in his mid 60s and had many gray and silver hairs, but no one told him because even though he seemed old and could hardly put up a fight, everyone who studied under him knew that he could punch the living daylights out of you in no time.

The black cat cleared his throat and tried again, "I'm planning on going to a cafe nearby," he paused to check if the coach would object: he didn't, "-and was wondering if you'd join me, maybe bring the others along who aren't doing anything; it's been a while since we all met up."

Robert had worked his gloves off at this point and tied the laced of each glove with each other. The tan cat combed his hair back with one of his hands, his hair glistening due to the copious amounts of sweat that he accumulated from the intense practice. He turned around and laughed, "A week isn't a while, but sure, I'm down for a quick cuppa Joe."

The two cats stepped out of the ring and headed to the showers to wash their bodies, both of them looking forward to the feeling of the soothing hot water cleaning their fur from the sweat they had built up on their bodies. After taking a refreshing shower, the two fighters began to head for the exit before Shades was stopped by the coach, "You forgot these."

Shades grabbed his shades from the coach's hand, shook the coach's hand, and headed out to the door.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Shades looked up to see Leo's face hovering above him. Shades could see that Leo was more afraid than concerned because the gray cat's eyes had a nervous light in them and he constantly looked at Aeris, which Shades was sure were looks that asked her to help him if Shades decided to throttle him. Shades grabbed the side of his head and stood up shakily, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Aeris walked up to him, "You sure? You don't seem so hot tough guy," she said in a honeyed, mocking tone.

Shades eventually stopped his knees from trembling, shook his head one more time, and cleared his throat, "Yeah, I said I'm fine."

Aeris just rolled her eyes and Leo shrugged it off. Shades dusted off his hands and yawned, "Well, if we're done here," he began to walk to the apartment house, "then let's go back inside and sleep it-"

"Hold the fuck up!"

Aeris grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around, "And where do you think YOU'RE going?"

Shades raised an eyebrow, "Inside."

"And what gives you the right to do so?" Aeris asked in a dangerously low tone.

"We fought, right?" Shades asked.

"Yeah," replied Aeris, not sure where the black cat was going with their conversation.

"And I didn't lose to you, right?"

"Not exactly, but why do you care? It's not like we made a bet or something, so as far as I'm concerned, you have no authority to force yourself into our apartment."

Shades rubbed his chin, nodding slightly as he did so, "All of what you are saying is true, but don't you have it in your heart to let me stay at your apartment for at least the night, or at least until I find enough money to get an apartment to myself?"

Aeris responded within a heartbeat, "Nope. I don't care if you rot in hell and the devil stuffs his pitchfork up your ass. We pretty much saved your life from the streets, and how do you thank us? By attacking one of us with a knife. You don't deserve any sympathy from me."

Shades lifted his hands up in self-defense, "Hold up; first of all, I didn't know you saved me at the time, so I only reacted as I normally would (I think), and second: I could pay part of the rent!"

Aeris scuffed, "Sorry, but Leo and I are set on the apartment: his parents are rich as hell and help us out when we need some money to pay the rent-"

"Uh, I've been meaning to tell you Aeris, but they aren't doing that anymore."

Aeris turned her head around to the source of the voice and saw that Leo was wearing a weak smile on his face, ears drooping and sweating slightly. Aeris turned her full body around and frowned, "What?" Leo gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Well, when I visited my parents the other day..."

-In the Past-

The gray cat walked into his parents' house, although the house itself was pretty large compared to other houses. The Leonardo house had four floors (a basement and three above-ground levels) with various rooms that have various uses to them.

Leo Leonardo III walked into the living room and plopped on a couch, leaving the T.V. off. His father had called him to come over for an important meaning, and when his father calls him by his full name, he knows that it was no joke. The gray cat only had to wait for a few minutes, roughly five, when his parents came in the door.

His father, Leo Leonardo II, was a spitting image of his son, except for a few white hairs in his hair and his brown suit that came complete with a monocle, white gloves, and top hat. His mother, Clementine, had peach colored fur with hair that curled at the sides of her face. She wore a black shirt and gray sleeves. Leo III took his stare off of the T.V. and sat up straight. His parents sat across from him, each sitting in a comfortable chair, a coffee table separating the seats. Leo II created a tent with his gloved fingers and looked at his son, "Son, do you know why I called you here today?"

Leo III shook his head, his blue bell slightly jangling, "Nope. Does it have to do with Aeris? Because for the last time: we are NOT dating!"

His father guffawed and shook his head, "No no no, it's not about that." Then he rubbed his chin, "But I am still waiting for the day you ask her out..." He said under his breath.

Leo groaned and face-palmed still peeved that his parents, after 10-plus years, still expect him and Aeris to hook up. Sure, he understood that best friends who hung out with each other every day and were of the opposite sex were bound to have some feelings, but this was Aeris: the mean, pink, hitting machine. Her temper was as thin as string and could snap just as easily. He couldn't imagine trying to be in a relationship with her; he would never know what to do.

Leo II chuckled, reached across, and patted his son on his shoulder, "I'm just yanking on your chain my boy! Take all the time you need!"

"But not too long darling," his mother said, "I will be expecting me to be a grandmother before I die!"

Leo III cringed at the thought of taking care of a child, one who would run around, puke on everything, and destroy everything, especially his game systems… He shook his head, "I will NEVER have a kid! They're too annoying!"

Leo II laughed once again and took off his top hat, running his fingers through his gray and white hair to fix it. He placed the hat on the table in between the couch and the chairs and cleaned his monocle with the hem of his shirt. After placing the monocle back in front of his eye, he suddenly became very serious; the change was drastic enough to be able to notice it by the atmosphere.

"Leo my son, do you know why we have called you here?"

Leo III shook his head, "No. You just called me up and told me to come over when it was convenient."

Leo II nodded his head and leaned back in his leather chair, creating a tent out of his fingers once again and crossed his right leg over his left one, a habit he had picked up from his father, Leo I. He spoke with no humor, which was surprising, considering his usually jolly mood, "Leo, I have called you over for a very special reason, a reason that will change your life style."

Leo III remained passive on the outside, but on the inside he was wondering what this announcement could possibly be. His father leaned forward and said, "Son, starting today, we will not supply you with money."

Leo III felt his jaw drop open in shock. After a few moments to actually comprehend the words, he began to sputter incoherent noises that his father immediately put a stop to the stream of noise with a single, raised hand, "Now son, you know that I never waste anyone's time."

And it was true. The Leonardo family was always raised to be fine gentlemen and ladies. They took the top classes, usually coming out with the best grades, and invested their time wisely, scarcely making unnecessary decisions. But what happened with Leo Leonardo III? The answer was his mother.

She saw this way of raising kittens rather frightening, claiming that it would rob her kitten of his childhood. Her husband tried to explain to her that that way of raising children might be dull at first, but it will pay off in the end when their kitten will be a successful cat, but she would have none of it. She strongly believed in what she had said and had planted her foot on the ground, so Leo II had no choice to give in to her demands, for he loved her so much that he was willing to break his family tradition, and allow Leo III to grow up practically unrestricted in his eyes.

But as the years passes and his young kitten grew up, Leo II's fear have come true: his son was becoming a buffoon. Of all the things Leo III could have been, a doctor, a lawyer, or even a dentist, he became a buffoon. (No offence to dentists, just stating jobs). Leo II had feared that it would come to this since the day his wife won their argument on how to raise their little kit. Although he never told his wife, Leo III was afraid of what Leo III might –and had- grown up to be. And with this fear now in real life, Leo II decided to put some measures into his own hands.

Leo III leaned back in the couch and looked down at the ground, "I know, Dad."

Clementine gave a small smile and reached over to pat her son on the shoulder, "Leo, honey, I know that this is a big change, but I want you to understand that this is a good thing. I don't like throwing you out into the big world in such short notice, but sometimes this is best."

Leo II sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "But Mom-"

"No 'buts' young man, I have babied you too long. I think it's time for you to face the real world with a stiff upper lip and with your sleeves rolled up!" his mother said with much enthusiasm.

Leo II gave her a weak smile, "Yeah, sleeves rolled up…"

Clementine smiled and kissed her son on his forehead, "Good. Now, make us proud!"

-In the Present-

"So that's it?" Aeris asked with her arms crossed, "your parents told you to "man up" and you didn't even ask for this month's rent money?"

Leo looked down at the ground, drawing circles with his foot in the fallen- and still falling- snow, "Yeah…"

"YOU IDIOT!" Aeris practically screaming into Leo's ear, grabbing the front of Leo's shirt and shaking him back and forth which caused the gray cat's head to bounce back and forth at what must have been at neck-breaking speeds, "You could have asked for this month's rent so that we can spend time saving money and find you a job or something, but instead you just agreed like a total RETARD!"

Leo's ears were glued to his skull as he looked anywhere but the blue eyes of his roommate, which he found challenging for the sole fact that he could feel Aeris' hot gaze on his face that eliminated any traces of cold that he felt. Aeris finally let go- Leo landing on the snow on his rear and soaking the seat of his pants- and tugged her ears in a rather comedic way, "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

Before the furious pink cat could finish one of her most explosive "F-Bombs," a voice spoke out, "My offer's still on the table if you want it."

Aeris and Leo both gave their attention to Shades, who was viewing the scene with amusement clearly written on his face in the form of a smile, "It seems that you DO need money, and I need a place to stay; so why don't you agree to the deal?"

Aeris narrowed her eyes, "I don't like the sound of you staying in out apartment…"

Shades gave a smirk, "Don't worry, I won't steal your stuff and leave; I really do need a place to stay."

Leo was about to speak out, absolutely terrified of the idea of this stranger who had fought on equal ground with Aeris actually having a chance of living with the two of them, when Aeris spoke first, "So… If we let you stay with us, you'll help pay the rent?"

Shades nodded, "That's what I said."

Aeris thought about this for a moment; they really needed the money, but was it worth letting this guy into their apartment, a guy who they have no relations with and who could easily slit their throats in their sleep? Aeris sighed in defeat; she knew that only the two of them had no chance of paying their rent this month. Even though it was the beginning of the month- the very first week- they had spent their cash on video games and other recreational objects. Aeris was beginning to wonder why they hadn't expected this to happen eventually, when Shades cleared his throat, "I'm starting to get bored with just standing out here, so I'd love to know your answer now."

"… youcnsty."

Shades put a hand around his ear, "What? Speak up, I can't hear you."

"…you cn stay…"

"Huh?" asked Leo, genuinely unable to hear her.

"YOU CAN FUCKING STAY YOU BLACK BITCH!"

Shades smiled, "Thanks!"

Leo just had his mouth hanging open in shock and fear; he almost crapped himself everyday with just Aeris living with him, now he had to live with the cat in black? Leo had only one thing in him mind, 'Fuck my life.'

**Finally, chapter 3!**

**Been a few months since my last chapter and I am sorry. But family matters must come first. It's not anything tragic, or even bad, just a lot of stuff going on.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The front door clicked shut as the three cold cats entered the apartment. Leo threw his thick jacket and hat on the floor, slipped off his shoes, and flopped down on the nearest seat. Aeris glared at him and hung her coat on a coat rack that was located a few feet from the door that was set in place by two screws. She didn't bother to pick up Leo's clothes and sat down on a different seat, giving a smoldering look at their new "roommate." Shades on the other hand hung his coat on the wall like Aeris did and went straight to the refrigerator, prying it open and began to immediately take out many ingredients. Aeris stood up from her chair and walked over, grabbing the black cat's shoulder and taking the Jib peanut butter from his hand. Shades gave a pout, "Aw, can't a guy have a sandwich?"

Aeris' nose twitched in response and she began to put the various items back. The items consisted of a loaf of bread that was untouched, grape jelly, a pack of bacon, a head of cabbage, a package of individually wrapped slices of cheddar cheese, a tomato, a half-empty carton of whole milk, a bag of Ruffles chips, and the peanut butter that Shades was recently holding. Aeris looked up from her task after realizing how much food she was putting away, "What the hell were you planning to make?"

Shades shrugged, "A peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, a BLT with a glass of milk, with some chips on the side. A standard meal, wouldn't you say?"

Aeris frowned, "Just make one sandwich. I don't want you to eat all our food before we get you and Leo actual jobs."

"But I haven't eaten in forever!" Shades' whined.

"Oh, while we're making sandwiches, can I have a PB&J?" Leo hollered out from the couch.

"Oh fine!" Aeris yelled in defeat, "Eat your damn sandwiches! I don't care anymore!"

Shades and Leo shared a grin across the room as Shades popped in four slices of bread into the toaster, their toaster having four slots to make two sandwiches at the same time. Aeris sank back into her chair and let out a sigh, rubbing her temples.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real…" The pink cat muttered to herself under her breath. Her sapphire eyes locked on to the black cat that was leaning on the kitchen counter. Shades was staring at the toaster, licking his lips in anticipation for the first meal in what seemed like forever.

'_What's up with the 180 in his attitude? Outside, he was like a boxer in the ring; but now…'_

*DING!*

"WE'VE GOT TOAST!" Leo and Shades exclaimed at the top of their lungs.

'…_he's an idiot.'_

As Leo assembled his PB&J sandwich, Shades grabbed the large bag of Ruffles potato chips that Aeris had snatched away earlier and ripped it open. The black cat passed the bag to Leo as he walked by and went to prepare his own sandwich.

'_Not only that,'_ Aeris continued to think, _'now it's like he's best friends with Leo all of a sudden!'_

Leo plopped down on the couch which sat in front of the TV, resting his feet on the wooden coffee table that was in front of him. He dumped some of the potato chips unto his plate and placed the bag on the table to let the others eat from it. Shades soon entered the living room as well and sat down on the last open seat which sat on the left of the couch, a PB&J sandwich now in his possession.

Aeris sighed as she watched the two toms eat their meals. Leo looked over and offered the opened bag of chips, "Hungry?" he asked, crumbs of soggy chips flying out of his mouth.

Her face darkened, wiping a few crumbs from her face. Leo quickly realized his mistake and smiled sheepishly, his ears pressed against his head, "Sorry."

Aeris merely lowered and shook her head, too tired to scream at Leo for once. She looked up to see Shades with an amused smirk on his face. A snarl began to form on her face and she growled, "What's so funny?"

The black cat shrugged, " I just find it funny that you two are in a relationship is all," he said, taking a bite out if his sandwich.

Leo, who so happened to be taking a swig of his soda immediately spat it all out in a fine mist, unintentionally spraying Shades' food, much to the black cat's dismay. Aeris' face turned a dark shade of red as she sputtered, "W-What the hell are you talking about?!"

Shades slowly put his plate on the coffee table and pushed it with a paw as he rose an eyebrow, "What? Are you saying that you two aren't a thing?"

Leo just had his jaws wide open as his muzzle matched the color of Aeris' fur. Aeris shook in her seat in embarrassment and what could have been anger, "I'd rather be caught dead than go out with... HIM!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the gray cat. Leo nodded enthusiastically and added his own two cents, "Y-Yeah! If we were in a relationship, there wouldn't be enough bandages in the world to help me!"

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!" Aeris demanded, smacking the back of Leo's head. Shades snickered, "Hey hey, I just thought that that was the state of your relationship, sorry for misunderstanding."

Aeris sunk into her chair, brushing a few strands of hair that had flew around as she freaked out over what Shades had said. An almost deafening silence overcame the room, the munching of chips the only sound that penetrated the air. Leo slowly reached into the bag of chips, eyeing the other two cats as he pulled a single chip out. Sensing the mood, the gray cat slowly placed the chip in his tongue and ever so slowly chewed it, creating another crunch.

Shades sighed and stood up, stretching and groaned in satisfaction as he felt the bones in his spine pop. He turned to Leo, "Hey Leo, where can I sleep? Is there a guest bed or...?"

"Well..." Leo said, turning to face the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Aeris immediately interjected, "NO. I'll let you stay with us because, honestly, we have no choice, but you WILL sleep on the couch, got it?!"

Shades shrugged, "Fine, since I got a roof over my head, I'll be more than happy to sleep on a couch: it's better than sleeping in a cardboard box out in the streets."

Leo stood up, the gray cat dusting off his hands from the salt that covered them as he ate the potato chips, "Anyways, I'll just be heading off the bed, good night Aeris!"

Aeris nodded and yawned, the events of the day catching up to her and the fact that she had been asleep only two hours ago did nothing to fend off the fingers of sleep that were slowly wrapping around her, "Yeah, I think I'll hit the hay too."

She began to walk down the hall, but then turned to face the black cat, "If I find out that you took off in the night, I'll hunt you down."

Shades smiled and laid down on the couch, the springs giving out a slight groan as it tried to support the cat's weight, "Don't worry, I don't have anywhere to go. Nighty night Aeris~" he said in a sing-song tone. Aeris simply gave a small huff and entered her room to sleep.


End file.
